What's Emerging September 2021
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy
Introduction
Welcome to our end of September newsletter for 2021. Sorry it is a bit late. There has been a bit going on
In the next few weeks, Paul will continue working with a council on their community vision and working on a value adding strategy for agriculture in Queensland. He will also be working with the AFL Players Association on their next strategic plan (with futurist Reanna Browne who is the lead consultant). Paul will also continue working in his role as advisor for foresight and strategy to Save the Children Australia and will be presenting to a CEO Institute Syndicate on how to think about the future as well as the Murray River Tourism Board AGM on opportunities in the next 12 months. He is also commencing a project on how to maximise the adoption of new irrigation technologies in the Dairy and Cotton industries via the use of Sense Maker narrative collection techniques.
Paul will be handing over the role of temporary Executive Director of Social Venture Partners Melbourne over the next two weeks as a new permanent Executive Director takes up the role.
Stay safe out there. If you are in Australia we are about to start a whole new phase of the Pandemic and things might be a little tumultuous over the next few months.
The Emergent Futures Team
In case you missed it. The most popular link from the last edition:
AusMV strikes deal to bring 19,000 all-electric utes with 800km range to Australia was our most clicked link from our last edition……Read more
What are we Writing About?
Unfortunately all the work of the last three weeks has been commercial in confidence so we cannot share anything in this section this edition.
What’s Emerging
Influenza cases hit an all-time low in Australia in 2021 — that could be a problem when it returns
Before COVID-19 arrived, the number of influenza cases was reaching some of its highest levels, with 313,033 notifications of laboratory-confirmed influenza across Australia in 2019 — 2.7 times higher than the five-year average — and 953 deaths.
In 2020, there were more than 20,000 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) and 37 deaths. This year, to August 29, just 484 cases were recorded and zero deaths. .…. Read More
China tells Alibaba, Tencent to open platforms up to each other
China's internet is dominated by a handful of technology giants who have historically blocked links and services by rivals on their platforms, creating what analysts have described as "walled gardens". Paul: there is a lot going on in this space right now and keeping an eye on it is a good idea....…. Read more
EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO CLONE THEIR VOICE IN THE FUTURE
All you need to do is talk into a microphone for 30 minutes or so, reading a script as carefully as you can. After starting and stopping dozens of times to re-record your flubs and mumbles, you’ll send off the resulting audio files to be processed and, in a few hours’ time, be told that a copy of your voice is ready and waiting. Then, you can type anything you want into a chatbox, and your AI clone will say it back to you .….. Read more
Why Amazon really built a new warehouse on the U.S.-Mexico border
The fulfillment center in Tijuana is a symbol of how the pandemic has changed the way the world shops.…… Read more
Why digital retail darlings Warby Parker and Allbirds are betting big on stores to grow ahead of public debuts
Retail darlings Warby Parker and Allbirds launched on the internet and paved the way for other brands to follow their playbooks and hope for similar success.
Now, they’re betting big on real estate — not the web — to fuel future growth, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show. Whether they reap the benefits of physical stores could shape the path ahead for other online-first companies.. ….Read more
Autonomous vehicles to cheap spaceflights: How mobility experts think we will travel in 50 years
In a little less than 100 years, mankind went from riding horses to spaceflights. Our insatiable desire for discovery and the constant need to travel ensured that the mobility sector saw progress happen at a lightning pace.
Living at a time of innovative new technologies, AI automation, renewable energy advancements and new standards for travelling, we are expecting groundbreaking developments in the upcoming decades that, most likely, will radically change the way we move...….. Read more
Scientists created the world's whitest paint. It could eliminate the need for air conditioning.
Making this paint really reflective, however, also made it really white, according to Purdue University. The paint reflects 98.1% of solar radiation while also emitting infrared heat. Because the paint absorbs less heat from the sun than it emits, a surface coated with this paint is cooled below the surrounding temperature without consuming power...…. Read more
Many carbon credits for deforestation could be 'nothing more than hot air', report finds
It found the amount of "avoided" deforestation — paid for by carbon offset schemes — could not have realistically occurred in the first place.
"It's like paying someone not to drive to work when they never drove to begin with," said Richie Merzian from the Australia Institute, one of the report authors..
..….. Read more
EV revolution accelerates with 20% of new cars in Germany electric
More than a fifth of the cars produced in Germany in July 2021 were electric vehicles, compared with 6.8% in March 2020....…..Read more
Scientists Create Holograms That You Can Touch
University of Glasgow scientists have created hologram system that uses jets of air known as “aerohaptics” to replicate the sensation of touch, according to Ravinder Daahiya, a researcher who worked on the project. He said that the air jets can allow you to feel “people’s fingers, hands and wrists.” The team published a paper of their findings in Advanced Intelligent Systems....….….Read more
$5.9 million ransomware attack on farming co-op may cause food shortage
Paul: This just shows how vulnerable our interconnected systems are…….Read more
How world’s coal-power pipeline has shrunk by three-quarters
A new analysis shows that the global pipeline of new coal plant projects has already shrunk dramatically since 2015, bringing the world closer to a pathway consistent with international climate goals..…. Read more
Engineers figured out how to cook 3D-printed chicken with lasers
Who hasn't dreamt of coming home after a long day and simply pressing a few buttons to get a hot, home-cooked 3D-printed meal, courtesy of one's digital personal chef? Engineers at Columbia University are trying to make that fantasy a reality, and they've now figured out how to simultaneously 3D-print and cook layers of pureed chicken, according to a recent paper published in the journal npj Science of Food. Sure, it's not on the same level as the Star Trek replicator, which could synthesize complete meals on demand, but it's a start.....…..Read more
Flying Microchips The Size Of A Sand Grain Could Be Used For Population Surveillance
The tiny microfliers, whose development by engineers at Northwestern University was detailed in an article published by Nature, are being billed as the smallest-ever human-made flying structures....……. Read more
Business Tips
Books on Making Better Decisions
Here is a short list of books that present a wealth of information on ways to evaluate an uncertain future and improve decision-making.…… Read more
What will flying look like when international borders reopen next month?
The federal government says the international borders will reopen next month for states that have fully vaccinated 80 per cent of their population aged more than 16 years, starting with New South Wales.
Qantas says it's ready for international flights to resume, but flying will look a bit different for a while. What will flying look like?.……Read more
The importance of rest, and why so many of us avoid it.
Paul: an interesting piece from the always thoughtful Rachel Botsman ...…. Read more
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